1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parts transfer apparatus, and more particularly, to a technique effectively applicable to a parts transfer apparatus which transfers parts such as electronic parts in a given direction by reciprocating a pair of parts transfer blocks, having reduced transfer time and small size.
2. Related Art Statement
As a parts transfer apparatus which transfers parts in a given direction, there is an apparatus which is used together with, for example, a chip mounter for mounting electronic parts such as a semiconductor device on a printed circuit board. At a loading position, electronic parts housed in a tray or the like are taken out one by one, and sucked and fixed by a vacuum pad of a transfer block, transferred through a transfer path to a given releasing position, and then, mounted on a printed circuit board by a chip mounter.
As shown in FIGS. 3(a) to 5(b), as the transfer apparatus of this kind, there are a rotational type (FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)) in which a vacuum pad 22 is arranged on both ends of a rotary board 21 which is rotated by means of a motor and the like; a belt rotation type (FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)) in which the vacuum pads 22 are installed on a belt 23 which is rotated by a motor and the like; and a guide type (FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)) in which vacuum pads 22 are mounted respectively on guides 24 which are reciprocated by means of an air cylinder and the like.
However, each of these conventional techniques requires large area for installation and movement of a transfer apparatus.
Particularly, in the case of the rotational type, an area larger than covered by rotation of the diameter of the transfer path is necessary. Thus, there has been a desire for improvement of the apparatus to make it small.
Also, in the case of the guide type having reciprocated movement by air cylinders and the like, because the apparatus has two guides for the transfer blocks, it is impossible to set the same loading and releasing points for two transfer blocks transferring a part on their vacuum pads. Therefore, this type is not suitable, in particular, for succesive transfer, and the apparatus can not be adapted for shorter transfer time and larger transfer capacity.